Former Congressman Rick Hill (R-MT) leads Democratic Attorney General Steve Bullock in a new poll conducted by a Democratic polling firm looking at the potential 2012 gubernatorial matchup.
That’s a screenshot from the latest Public Policy Polling (PPP) poll. Hill also leads in a potential matchup against Lieutenant Governor John Bohlinger.
Tom Jensen, the Director of Public Policy Polling has this:
Hill, Bohlinger, and Bullock are the early front runners but none of them are terribly well known, which leaves the race pretty wide open. Only Bohlinger is known to a majority of voters in the state and it’s a bare majority- 52% have an opinion about him. 46% are familiar enough with Bullock to have an opinion and that number is 45% for Hill.
We included three other candidates in the general election part of our poll but it basically boils down to the better known Democrats leading the lesser known Republicans, the lesser known Republicans leading the lesser known Democrat, and unsurprisingly the better known Republican leading the lesser known Democrat. It’s pretty much all name recognition at this point and the race really hasn’t developed.
Click here to read the full, detailed poll results and cross tabs.
The Hill campaign is touting the results. Here’s what campaign advisor Chuck Denowh sent out via e-mail:
“I think we’re doing so well because the message I’m carrying is striking a chord with Montanans,” said Hill. “We have so much potential that is going unrealized in this state, and people are ready for a positive change. I think most of us are on the same page about what we want Montana to look like in the future—better jobs through harnessing our natural resource wealth, better schools to prepare our kids for a modern economy, and better economic opportunities for all Montanans.